Commission denies tax-fee waiver request from Walnut Creek Vineyards

Clay County commissioners denied a request to waive fees, interest and penalties for Walnut Creek Vineyards, voting 6-0.

Deatta Jacobs, county staff assigned to the item, presented the background: "The requester of the waiver was contacted by staff, indicated they had another engagement this evening...Property was purchased in 2022, and the address on the deed for that property was given as an address in Kearney. Bills were subsequently mailed to that address." Jacobs said returned mail and staff research showed the mailing address on record was not valid until the owner visited county offices on July 1 and updated several properties to a P.O. box.

Jacobs also noted a statutory requirement that the county use the grantee's mailing address on record: "...when they're signing all of the paperwork, the grantee is the one that lists the mailing address and that's what we're required to utilize by statute." Commissioners discussed the frequency of such errors; Commissioner Lawson said the county's assessor and collector told him similar misaddressing "happens all the time," and suggested exploring whether title companies could do more to ensure correct mailing addresses.

Commissioner Johnson moved to deny the waiver (item 2025233); the motion passed, 6-0. The record shows the owner of Walnut Creek Vineyards did not appear at the meeting.